Sandstorm Sends Hundreds to Hospital in SE Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Around 800 local residents in Iran’s southeastern Sistan region have received medical treatment in the wake of a persistent sandstorm that is tearing through the area, an official said.

A crisis management official at the governor’s office of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan told Tasnim on Sunday that 787 people in the Sistan region have been admitted to medical centers in recent days for respiratory and ocular problems.

He also warned residents, the elderly in particular, to avoid staying outdoors as strong winds and dust picked up by them are expected to continue until Monday.

Layers of dust on cars, streets and just about everything else outside are a common scene that people in the city of Zabol and its rural areas have seen in recent days.

Dust particles were driven by 95-kilometers-an-hour winds in Zabol on Sunday, reducing visibility at the city’s airport to below 2,500 meters.

Winds have raised concentration of dust in the air to 17 times the limits in the area.